APPLICATION FOR REGION 6 CONFERENCE SCHOLARSHIPS

The SWANA South Carolina Palmetto Chapter Board would like to sponsor two scholarships for two professionals in the solid waste industry to attend the SWANA Quad State Conference to be held September 12-15, 2025 at the Chattanooga Convention Center, in Chattanooga, TN.  This bi-annual conference will be hosted by the Tennessee Chapter and will be held jointly with the South Carolina, North Carolina, Kentucky, and Virginia Chapters.

Preference will be given to applicants who are:

• Municipal Employees
• Young Professionals
• New to the industry

Each recipient will receive a voucher for one free full conference registration and each will receive reimbursement of up to $800 for lodging during the conference. (Travel costs are not included in this scholarship) This is a great opportunity for anyone interested in attending the conference but can not due to their junior status or organizational financial restraints.  To find out more about the Region 6 2025 Conference, please go to the Region 6 website: 2025 Agenda | Solid Waste Association

If you are a professional in the solid waste industry residing in South Carolina and you are interested in attending Region 6, we want to hear from you.  Also, if you know someone interested in attending, please encourage them to respond.  For those interested in this great opportunity, please click here or email a brief, one page letter to info@scswana.org expressing your interest by July 3, 2025.  You do not need to be a SWANA Member to apply but SWANA Membership will be required prior to the scholarship being awarded. The letter should include the following information:

• Why you are interested.
• Why you feel you are a good candidate for sponsorship.
• Your current employer and contact information.
• Your current position and career path in the solid waste industry.
• How long you have been in the solid waste industry.
• Are you currently a SWANA Member.
• What you hope to gain from attending Region 6.
• A letter from your direct supervisor approving your attendance to Region 6.

The recipient will be notified by COB July 13, 2025 with the conference voucher.  Reimbursement for the lodging will be presented to the recipient on the last day of the conference if a signed CEU form is submitted indicating attendance at 75% of the conference sessions.

We look forward to your responses and having you join us at Quad State. If you have questions or need additional information please email us at info@scswana.org.

APPLICATION FOR SC SWANA RCon  2025 CONFERENCE SCHOLARSHIP

The SWANA South Carolina Palmetto Chapter Board would like to sponsor one scholarships for one professionals in the solid waste industry to attend the National SWANA RCon Conference to be held November 12-15, 2025 at the Columbus Convention Center, in Columbus, OH.  This conference was formally known as WASTECON.  Further, the SWANA SOAR / SWANAPalooza annual conference will no longer take place in the spring each year and has been combined with this RCon conference.

Preference will be given to applicants who are:

• Municipal Employees
• Young Professionals
• New to the industry

Each recipient will receive a voucher for one free full conference registration and each will receive reimbursement of up to $1,200 for lodging during the conference. (Travel costs are not included in this scholarship) This is a great opportunity for anyone interested in attending the conference but can not due to their junior status or organizational financial restraints.  To find out more about the RCon 2025 Conference, please go to the RCon website: RCon™ 2025

If you are a professional in the solid waste industry residing in South Carolina and you are interested in attending RCon, we want to hear from you.  Also, if you know someone interested in attending, please encourage them to respond.  For those interested in this great opportunity, please click here and complete form or email a brief, one page letter to info@scswana.org expressing your interest by July 3, 2025.  You do not need to be a SWANA Member to apply but SWANA membership will be required prior to the scholarship being awarded. The letter should include the following information:

• Why you are interested.
• Why you feel you are a good candidate for sponsorship.
• Your current employer and contact information.
• Your current position and career path in the solid waste industry.
• How long you have been in the solid waste industry.
• Are you currently a SWANA member.
• What you hope to gain from attending Rcon2025.
• A letter from your direct supervisor approving your attendance to RCon 2025.

The recipient will be notified by COB July 13, 2025 with the conference voucher.  Reimbursement for the lodging will be presented to the recipient on the last day of the conference if a signed CEU form is submitted indicating attendance at 75% of the conference sessions.

We look forward to your responses and having you join us at Quad State. If you have questions or need additional information please email us at info@scswana.org.

SC SWANA PALMETTO CHAPTER 2025 CONFERENCE SCHOLARSHIPS

1.  SWANA SC YP Scholarship

The SC SWANA Board awarded the young professional scholarship to attend the SWANA SC Palmetto Chapter Spring Conference to be held May 14 - 16, 2025 at the Hilton Doubletree Resort in Myrtle Beach Oceanfront, SC to Vince Dawkins of ES Integrated!

Vince received one free conference registration (A $295 Value!) and reimbursement for lodging up to $500 from May 14-16, 2025. To find out more information about the 2025 Spring Conference, please go to the 2025 Spring Conference page here.

Eligibility Requirements: The applicant had to be a Young Professional at the time of the Conference. A “Young Professional” is defined as an individual in the solid waste industry and 35 years or younger at the time of the conference. The Board was excited to award this sponsorship to give Vince the opportunity to meet and network with other YPs and seasoned professionals in the Solid Waste Industry.

Congrats to Vince Dawkins!

2. SC Palmetto Chapter of SWANA Johnny Schnabel Regulator Scholarship

In December 2024, the solid waste community lost one of its longstanding “regulators”. From landfills, to tires and even compost, Johnny was instrumental in permitting numerous solid waste management facilities. Also known by many as the “Ragin Cajun” due to his roots to his home state of Louisiana, Johnny loved his job as a solid waste permitting engineer at the SC Department of Health & Environmental Control (SCDHEC) and although he loved all things Cajun, he ultimately made South Carolina his home.

Johnny Schnabel began working for the Solid Waste Facilities Engineering Section at SCDHEC in February 1992 shortly after the passage of the Solid Waste Policy and Management Act of 1991. The Act encouraged regionalization of landfills and required new municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills to meet the requirements of Section 258 of the Federal Subtitle D regulations to include synthetic liners and leachate collection systems. As the Department worked with counties and private waste companies to close unlined landfills and permit new lined MSW landfills, Johnny played an integral part in the permitting of many of our landfills that are still in operation today. Johnny worked in the Solid Waste Section his entire time at SCDHEC until he retired in June 2016 with over 34 years of service to the Department and more importantly the solid waste industry. In that role he mentored dozens of staff members both young and old, passing on his years of experience and knowledge.

Johnny loved coming to work and stayed in his solid waste permitting position because he liked the engineering part of the job best. He especially liked making his famous “punch lists” to streamline the process for applicants to get their permits and understand the regulations. Johnny was a stickler for making sure a landfill was properly designed to meet all the Subtitle D requirements but especially the seismic design criteria to withstand the “big earthquake” that would rival the Charleston earthquake of 1886.

On the social side, he greatly enjoyed the camaraderie of all his colleagues in the solid waste industry. Johnny loved cooking, especially his Cajun hams and pralines. He also liked to share his homemade wines and mead with friends. In addition to his cooking and winemaking, nobody could hold a candle to the stories he would tell about things he did or jobs he held. Word is some were even true!!!

Johnny was a wonderful coworker who was loved by so many. He is and always will be greatly missed. Johnny saw his industry colleagues as family, and the feeling was quite mutual. In memory of Johnny and his contributions to the solid waste industry, the SC Palmetto Chapter of SWANA is offering a scholarship to one regulator for the 2025 Spring Conference. Applicants had to be "regulators", meaning a person or organization appointed by a government to regulate an area of activity in the solid waste industry and had to plan to attend at least 75% of the conference. 

The Board took applications in April for the Johnny Schnabel 2025 SC SWANA Conference Scholarship. David Oberly with SCDES was awarded the Scholarship and received one free conference registration (A $295 Value!) and reimbursement for lodging up to $500 from May 14-16, 2025. 

Congrats to David Oberly!